THE JACKSONS: ‘Walk Right Now’ (Epic EPC A13-1294).
Vibrant frenetically lively 133bpm 12in galloping strutter with gimmicky noise-filled final break will like their last one alienate the soul disco crowd but doubtless pull pop fans.

BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS: ‘No Woman, No Cry’ (Island 12WIP 6244).
1975’s London Lyceum-recorded classic 40/79-80-0bpm reggae-rock slowie now on full length 12in flipped by ‘Jamming‘ — but rather irritatingly its a Paris-recorded faster 65/130-131-0bpm live version from ’78.

CHAKA KHAN: ‘What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me’ (Warner Bros LV 48).
US soul smash sleazily jogging melodic 106-108bpm swayer, title track of her current album now on 3-track 12in with a welcome reissue of the driving 115bpm ‘I’m Every Woman’ and untidy 111-113bpm ‘We Got The Love‘ duetted with George Benson, while on the rather over-wrought LP (K 56888) the set’s best is the largely overlooked attractive ‘Any Old Sunday‘ tripping 0-45/90bpm jogger, ‘We Can Work it Out‘ being an angry bass synth jolted 0-112bpm brassy Beatles treatment, ‘And The Melody Still Lingers On (Night In Tunisia)‘ a jazzily starting mainly instrumental comes-and-goes 0-97bpm Dizzy Gillespie adaptation, and ‘I Know You I Live You‘ a tuneful pent-up 112-116bpm backbeat jitterer similar to the lurching mldtempo 115bpm ‘We Got Each Other‘, an earlier 12in (K 17793T) having coupled the subduedly rolling pleasant 106bpm ‘Heed The Warning’ and gentle 48/97bpm ‘Night Moods’. Her strident emoting can be a bit wearing over a whole album.

CANDIDO: ‘Jingo’ (Excaliber EXCL 102).
This throbbing 0-120-121-122bpm instrumental Olatunji-penned Santana Latin-rock classic has been popular with many types of crowd since ’79 and is now on ‘DJ Purposes Only’ 12in (for sale to anyone though!) flipped by the chlx-chanted cooler 115-117bpm ‘Dancin’ & Prancin‘.

MORRISSEY MULLEN: ‘Do Like You’ (LP ‘Badness’ Beggars Banquet BEGA 27).
Chris Palmer-produced musicianly British jazz-funk set on which this happily leaping 125-123-124-123-124bpm romper starts with the advantage of being a Stevie Wonder tune, the most interesting Jim Mullen compositions being the jazzily speeding 0-124-125-128bpm ‘Slipstream‘ and bluesy guitar played 114bpm title track.

TEE MAC: ‘Sound Of The Universe’ (Ensign ENYT 214).
Nigerian jazz-funk, with emphasis on the latter rather than any identifiable ethnic influence. This coolly tripping 104-107-108-109/110(fluctuating)-109bpm 12in specialist instrumental jogs pleasantly along through assorted solos from a flute start, with more flute on the nice quietly soulful chick-sung 48-51/103bpm ‘A Certain Way To Go’ flip.

BOB JAMES: ‘Feel Like Making Love’ (LP ‘One’ CBS 84820).
Gorgeous delicate slow 0-45/90bpm instrumental of Roberta’s smoocher, from Bob’s 1974 debut solo set now reissued at mid-price (as are the next three in the series too).

SARAH VAUGHAN: ‘And I Love Her’ (LP ‘Songs Of The Beatles’ Atlantic K 50792).
That so much talent (Lee Ritenour included) should be restricted by such an overworked and outdated concept seems a shame, but, that said, some of the more sympathetic material comes off quite well and none more so than this 41/82bpm standard on which Sassy works subtle wonders worthy of any sophisticated smooch set.

KLYMAX: ‘Never Underestimate The Power Of A Woman’ (Solar K 12541T).
Girlie group squawked convolutedly jiggling 100(intro)-106-103-106-103-106(incl claps)-109bpm 12in lurching judderer, a total stiff on import but nevertheless debuting Solar’s new deal with WEA.

BARRY & GLODEAN WHITE: ‘I Want You’ (LP ‘Barry & Glodean’ (Unlimited Gold ULG 84870).
Although the rest of the set is as mushy as you’d expect, this jolting choppy jogging 100bpm thudder with beat emphasizing unison title line ain’t that bad and is their new US single.

BEN E. KING: ‘Street Tough’ LP (Atlantic K 50787).
Despite past glories the ex-Drifter always needed strong songs and these days his now sadly characterless voice is no longer able to transcend the weaker ones. Here the Willie Hutch-penned sombre 93bpm title track jogger lacks necessary menace while the pleasant enough pattering 102bpm ‘Made For Each Other‘ tries hard to be another ‘Back Together Again’, only the attractively arranged gentle 46/93bpm ‘Something To Be Loved‘ finding him on old form.

KID CREOLE & THE COCONUTS: ‘Table Manners’ (LP ‘Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places’ ZE ILPS 7014).
Although August ‘Kid’ Darnell and his whole crew couldn’t be more fashionable at the moment, as a disco set his latest is a disappointment, possibly the most useable being this sleazily locomoting 108bpm bumper with a subdued ‘Que Pasa’ flavour and zany words, the similar 0-103bpm ‘I Am’ or less interesting 101-102bpm ‘Going Places‘ jolter, while exotica like the 149/74bpm ‘Latin Music‘ are more for happy individuals (I do NOT necessarily mean gay) with a taste for fun rather than set rhythm patterns . . . and not surprisingly early response has come from Scotland. Maybe 12in remixes will subsequently bring ’em out more.

POINTER SISTERS: ‘What A Surprise’ (LP ‘Black & White’ Planet K 52380).
Catchy little sleazily swaying 45/90-91-92bpm jogger with wailing sax break, probably the most obvious dancer on an excellent listening set, while the superb 55/111bpm ‘Slow Hand‘ swayer with great sensuous lyrics, already the US single and just made for radio despite the sexy subject matter, is rhythmically reminiscent of Mary Wells’s ‘Two Lovers’ — which producer Richard Perry recently revived with Marva King.

MANU DIBANGO: ‘Ambassador’ LP (Island ILPS 9658).
Likely to disappoint his afro-funk fans, the Cameroon-raised saxist’s latest is largely reggae biased and laid back with the most danceable track already out on 12in as official A-side to ‘Goro City’, the jauntily skipping 116-115bpm ‘Happy Feeling’ smacker with chanting chix and “trad” jazz break.

MAGAZINE 60: ‘Magazine 60’ (Barclay 200191).
French-pressed ‘Stars On 45’-inspired Europeans phonetically clodhopping through an ill-assorted 126bpm 12in medley of ’60s songs, to be avoided by all but masochists.

EDITH PIAF: ‘The Great Edith Piaf’ LP (CBS 85087).
Varying vintages with some sung in English rather than the more romantic French, two tracks being useful for hip MoR gigs, the enduringly evocative ‘La Vie En Rose’ rumblingly dubbed from disc, and thinly backed ‘Padem Padem’ waltz.

IMPORTS

CAROL JIANI: ‘The Woman In Me’ (LP ‘Hit ‘N’ Run Lover’ Canadian Matra WLP-1030).
Starting off-puttingly with an intro rhythm that’s like a cross between Change ‘Searching’ and Eddy Grant (could a remix exclude it?), this then explodes into the most fantastically happy clapping joyful swinger since Barbara Acklin’s ‘Love Makes A Woman’ from all of thirteen years ago — younger listeners however will think it’s a Motown-style 122-121bpm good time romp, but either way it has a dynamite bluesy drive and sounds like a summertime smash! The album also includes the ‘Soul Limbo’-like cowbell clonked 121bpm remix of the title track hit, plus a squeaky strings backed cantering 116bpm ‘Can’t Get Enough‘ and two cymbal schlurping gallopers, the 125bpm ‘Mercy‘ and 128bpm ‘High Cost Of Loving‘.

SHARON REDD: ‘Can You Handle It (Remix)’ (US Prelude PRL D 611).
Terrific solidly smacking basically instrumental 110-112bpm,12in remix, Sharon merely scatting along with the great jazzy guitar before a short sexy rap halfway and then rapping again into a chorus towards the end, this faster version mixing like a bitch out of Roberta & Donny and on into Grace Jones (varied up) or Sylvester (12in promo), the actual A-side being a rhythmically emphasised 108-107-108-107-108bpm ‘You Got My Love‘ which is in her usual bag and not bad either.

MAZE FEATURING FRANKIE BEVERLY: ‘Live In New Orleans’ LP (US Capitol SKBK-12156).
I must confess that Maze had never done much for me until hearing this superb live double album, which has got me so excited about their sophisticated jazzy modern soul I want to shout its praises from the rooftops! The jittery chugging 105-106(guitar)-105bpm ‘Southern Girl’ is possibly the most direct dancer, while for sheer beauty try the sinuous long 97-98-100(aca)-101 99bpm ‘Feel That You’re Feelin‘ and 95-94-96-0bpm ‘The Look In Your Eyes‘, taut 54/108-53(aca)bpm ‘Joy And Pain‘, hustling 118½-119-120bpm ‘Changing Times‘, and smoochy 38½-0bpm ‘Happy Feelin’s’. One side of studio-recorded new material is less interesting, ‘Running Away’ being a lurching sparse 121-122-123bpm jolter, ‘Before I Let Go’ a 51/103-104-103-104bpm jogger, the 41½-41bpm ‘We Need Love To Live’ and 0-44bpm ‘Reason’ both slowies.

Interesting to see James having a downer on Ben E. King’s ‘Street Tough’ – a track that would go on to become a big underground soul/rare groove favourite in London … just goes to show what five/six years can do for a song!